This invention relates to vehicles such as airplanes, automobiles and the like and more particularly to an improvement and apparatus for interruption of power to all electrical circuits in a vehicle in the event of a collision.
It is well known that fires commonly occur after an airplane crash and also occur, though with less frequency, in automobile collisions. One way in which fires happen is for the vehicle's fuel tank to be ruptured and the resulting spilled fuel being ignited by an electrical spark. To prevent a fire and the often accompanying tragedy, it would be beneficial if vehicles were equipped with a mechanism that was activated during a crash and which shut-off electrical power to the vehicle thus eliminating electrical sparks.
The improvement and apparatus of the present invention provides such a mechanism. It is an object of the present invention that the apparatus be readily installed on the vehicle. Further, it is an object of the present invention that the apparatus not respond to every force to which the vehicle is subjected by cutting off electrical power; but rather, that it do so only in the event the vehicle is subjected to extraordinary forces such as occur during a crash. A still further object of the present invention is that the apparatus be easily reset. Another object of the present invention is that the apparatus be oriented to respond to impact forces occurring along either the longitudinal or transverse axis of the vehicle whereby the apparatus properly responds to these forces regardless of the direction from which they come.